Own team for the Czech championRoman Kresta could prove a major threat to the established Intercontinental Rally Challenge regulars when he contests Barum Rally Zlin in August.

Kresta, who is the reigning Czech champion, crashed out on the second stage of his home

event last year. But he will return in 2009 in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 prepared by his own Kresta Racing Team. He will be co-driven by long-term partner Petr Gross.

Although Kresta insists that defending his domestic crown this season is his number one priority, the 33-year-old is highly regarded both in his homeland and abroad. He was a member of the factory Ford team in the World Rally Championship in 2005 before returning to Czech Republic in 2007 following a season in the British Rally Championship in a Ford Fiesta S1600.

Furthermore, Peugeot 207s have triumphed on the asphalt event since it was first included in the IRC in 2007: Nicolas Vouilloz claimed victory that year, while Freddy Loix emulated that achievement the following season.

Barum Rally Zlin begins with a superspecial stage through the streets of Zlin on Friday August 21. The event is due to finish in the afternoon of Sunday August 23.